Reunited
by even your tears were so pretty
Summary: WARNING: Contains spoilers for NYSM2! "They all stared at the person who stood in the doorway for what seemed like an eternity before Daniel spoke what they were all thinking: "Henley?" The young woman gave him a small smile. "I'm back." First Now You See Me fic! *throws confetti*
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so I've always been into Now You See Me- it's my favorite movie- but I didn't think about writing fanfiction for it until I saw the second one, and it was like all these tiny fireworks went off in my brain, giving me ideas. And my favorite one was one where Henley came back into the group.**

 **If someone else has already written a story with this idea, I sincerely promise that I'm not copying. I've actually been working on this for a while now, but anyway, I really hope that you guys like this. It's my first Now You See Me fanfic, so we'll see where it goes.**

 **I think this will be less of an adventure story and more of a drama/romance story, but who knows? I might end up throwing a mystery in here somewhere. But with no further ado...**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Now You See Me, but I'm working on it.**

* * *

It was the peak of autumn, mid-October- the time when the leaves would flutter delicately to the ground, golden and orange and red, creating a beautiful, colorful painting out of nature itself- when a young woman dressed stylishly in a black sweater,, a mini-skirt, leather gloves, and polished boots stopped in front of a store with a window full of TV's showing the news. Her red hair was let down but concealed with a black cap that shaded her sunglass-covered eyes and tucked neatly into a gray scarf. The New York chatter around her faded into a muffled buzz as she stared at the screen, taking in every word.

 _A week after their stunning finale, the four Horsemen have disappeared without a trace, accompanied by ex-FBI Agent Dylan Shrike. Theories have been made about their wherabouts- some say that they've gone back to Macau to plan another series of magic shows- others say that they're here in New York City, searching for a fifth Horseman. Thaddeus Bradley himself claims that the five have joined the Eye and are preparing to go onstage for a third time, but no mater what, one thing is for sure- the Horsemen will be back. And when they are, they'll be better than ever._

The screen changed to a picture of them- Daniel Atlas stood in the front, Merritt McKinney and Jack Wilder on both sides of him, and an unfamiliar, dark-haired girl standing next to Jack.

The woman took off her sunglasses and folded them in her hands, revealing the tear-brimmed eyes underneath.

* * *

"Straight flush. I win."

Merritt threw his cards onto the table, a smirk on his face. Jack stared at him, eyebrows furrowed together, trying to determine whether or not he'd cheated, but Daniel said it for him. "No way. You're a swindler, McKinney."

Merritt pretended to be offended. "I can't believe that you think I'd do such a thing! Now, I may be a couple of things but there's no way that I'm..."

His voice faded out in Lula's ears as the corners of her lips curled up in a smile. She stood in the corner, watching them while playing with a card in her fingers- a habit she'd picked up from Jack. As if sensing her thoughts, he looked up and gave her a wink; struggling to keep her emotions under control, she shot him a grin just as a knock sounded at the door.

She froze. "I have a feeling that this is bad."

Merritt looked bewildered. "Yeah, it's bad. Whoever's out there interrupted Daniel's and mine nice, little argument."

"Yeah, and on top of that, nobody's supposed to know where we are!" Daniel replied with an annoyed look, standing up in a flash. "Jack, throw me the tranquilizer gun over there. We'll put them to sleep and then figure out what to do from there."

The person knocked again, and Daniel walked over to the door, gripping the handle tightly. He threw it open, shot ready, and then everything after that seemed to happen in slow motion- he froze, open-mouthed, and the shot dropped from his hand. Merritt and Jack ran to him with Lula in tow, and they all stared at the person who stood in the doorway for what seemed like an eternity before Daniel spoke what they were all thinking: "Henley?"

The young woman gave him a small smile. "I'm back."

* * *

Henley accepted the small cup of espresso that the girl- she'd said her name was Lula- had offered her and gazed around at the small, run-down apartment that her old friends now stayed in- the living room that she sat in held two leather couches opposite from each other with a small coffee table in the middle. A single dim lightbulb hung from the ceiling, casting eerie shadows in the room, and there was a dusty, unused bookshelf in the corner that held a few books and DVD's about magic- she even spotted something with Thaddeus Bradley's name on it and turned away. The tiny bedroom held two sets of bunkbeds and had a clock hanging on the wall, with a small, clean bathroom inside.

She took a sip of her espresso as she prepared to answer all the questions unsaid but lingering in the air. Avoiding Daniel's eyes, she began, "I left because I was having dreams. I don't know who it was, Danny, because I know you're going to ask-" Daniel's heart skipped a beat at her old nickname for him- "and they told me what to do. They told me to leave you. They didn't say why, or how, but I asked the Eye to leave and they let me. So, I disappeared for a while and I went to search for whoever had sent me those dreams. I know that they weren't normal dreams, because I kept having them over and over, and they felt different to me- real.

"I started in Macau and went to a magic shop- I can't remember the name, only that it was the oldest magic shop in the world. There, I met someone named Li. He told me that he and his grandmother were part of the Eye, and he said that he might be able to help me. He gave me this-" she carefully took an amulet off her neck. The gold chain and the peridot in it gleamed in the light. "and he told me a story."

"Well, I just love stories," Merritt said, rubbing his hands together and putting on a face of mock interest.

Henley ignored this. "Once upon a time in Egypt, there was a young girl born into a family of slaves. Pharaohs ruled over all and got all the wealth- slaves, however did all the work in the land and were treated poorly in return. The girl's name was Abubakar- it means noble. One day, she decided to stand up for all the slaves in the land, and she demanded to see the pharaoh."

Henley closed her eyes as her imagination painted a lively picture in her mind. She saw a young girl, maybe thirteen or fourteen, with short, black hair dressed in a dirty brown robe, standing with a furious look in her eyes. Behind her, other slaves gasped and kneeled down, returning to their work and hiding like cowards, while Abubakar stood tall and met the hard, brown eyes of the pharaoh.

"It didn't work. She and her family were banished, but she didn't give up. She got an idea, and with some hesitation, her family and friends agreed. Not all of them, of course, but enough for her plan to work. On a dark, windy night, twelve people gathered in a circle with sand blowing into their eyes. Abubakar was at the head of the circle, and that was where she created the Eye."

Henley opened her eyes to meet all of their awestruck stares. "And so..." Jack prompted. All of them leaned forward in their seats like small children listening to a fairy tale; she almost wanted to laugh.

"And so, I'm descended from Abubakar herself. I'm descended from the woman who created the Eye."

Lula's mouth opened in wonder. "No way! That's so cool! I-"

"Yeah, I think we can all agree that it's cool, but what does that have to do with the dreams?" Daniel asked, never casting a glance towards Lula. The girl opened her mouth to speak, then decided against it, closing her mouth and leaning against the door. Henley raised her eyebrows, and still avoiding Daniel's searching gaze, she continued. She didn't want to think about what he was searching for, even though she knew- he was searching for forgiveness, but how was she supposed to forgive him if he didn't even know what he did wrong?

"There's more. Their first heist was against the pharaoh who had shamed her, by sneaking in and stealing this amulet." She held up the amulet again. "The pharoah had stolen this, among a number of other valuable things, from other kings all around the world. You can tell because in the gold here, the princess he'd stolen this from had engraved her name." She showed it to them, her thumb running over the faded cursive words; she could feel the word _'_ Princess,' with the 'c' missing, and something along the lines of 'Catarina.'

"They showed everyone that the pharaoh was a thieving liar, and he ended up being thrown off a cliff."

"Well, he had a bad day," Merritt said, reaching out and taking the necklace from Henley. She resisted from rolling her eyes.

"Before he died, he swore that he would get revenge. Nobody believed him except for one woman, who knew that she was pregnant with his child. Now, generations later, bad blood still runs between our families. Li thinks that the person controlling my dreams is out to sabotage me."

"So he told you to leave the Eye so that you would be alone and vulnerable..." Daniel mused thoughtfully, beginning to put the pieces together.

"Then, it would be easier to sabotage you. But why'd you fall for it? You're smarter than that, Henley," Jack murmured, his eyebrows furrowed together in a mix of thoughtfulness and confusion.

Henley sighed, the beginnings of a frown pulling at her lips. "At first, I thought that someone from the Eye was sending me these dreams. That's why I followed them, but by the time I realized, it was too late."

"So how'd you escape?" Daniel asked, clearly trying to keep the concern out of his voice but ultimately failing.

"Well, once Li told me about my... heritage-" the word sounded choked- "I contacted Dylan. He told me to fly to France, and he would meet me at the airport. Apparently, he was there looking for Alma Dray. Anyway, he told me to just ignore the dreams and gave me your address. Now... here I am."

"Did you ever find out who was trying to kill you?" Lula asked, refilling Henley's coffee even though the latter hadn't drank more than a bite or now.

Henley shook her head no, but it was clear that she didn't want to talk about the topic anymore. "So, how have things been with you?"

"Well, we had a few shows, almost got killed, were hypnotized into going to Macau, were betrayed for the second time by my evil twin brother, and got him, along with Arthur and his rather, I think, self-absorbed son thrown in jail. So, overall, pretty good." Although Merritt's tone was light, there was bitterness displayed openly on his usually cheerful face.

Henley gave him a half-kind, half-sympathetic smile. She didn't doubt for a moment that Merritt was telling the truth, but, as usual, he'd turned a relatively somber story into a joke. Maybe she'd changed while she was gone, but her old friends seemed like the same people. And she was glad.

Well, all of them except Daniel. In the corner of her eye, she saw the expression that passed over his face for a split second before he carefully plastered over it- she doubted anyone else saw it but her. It was a look of betrayal and disappointment and sadness mixed all into one; it was a look that made Henley wince on the inside and quickly avert her eyes; and it was a look that brought back too many unwanted memories. But there was nothing to stop them now.

 _It was early August, she remembered, and she'd went to Daniel's new apartment. There was a light drizzle outside, which provided a nice counterpart to the stifling summer heat, so the pair had sat on his balcony in comfortable chairs. Oh, and she'd been laughing. She'd been laughing so hard at something Daniel had said, and his mouth, as she remembered it, was half-open too in a chuckle. As her hysterics died down, there was a moment of silence, all except for the birds- the birds sang a beautiful, sweet melody, as if they'd guessed the electricity between the two before they did._

 _Stray hairs had fallen from her messy bun, and looking back now, she wished that she'd tied it better. Suddenly, Daniel reached out a hand and tucked a stray lock behind her ear, his blue eyes turning honest and genuine. Surprised, Henley's mouth dropped half-open, and he said, "I forgot how soft your hair was."_

 _That single sentence brought back so many memories- first, she was taken back to their second show, where she was floating in the air in soap bubbles, and then she was falling and screaming and in Daniel's- and she hated to admit it- warm arms. "I guess you have gotten lighter."_

 _Then, she was back in her old apartment, a year or two ago when she and Daniel used to date. They sat together on her couch, the TV flickering in front of them. Her head rested on his shoulder, and his arms was wrapped around, pulling her close, closer, as if doing that would make sure that she would never disappear._

 _But she did. Three months later, she did, and she remembered writing a note with a rose attached to it and taping it to his door. After that, she ran away, knowing that she was pulling a serious jerk move. She caught a plane to Los Angeles, planning to never see Danny again._

 _Until she got the card. The tarot card had changed everything for her- without the card, she wouldn't have seen Daniel again, she wouldn't have met Merritt and Jack, she wouldn't have done all those amazing magic shows, and she wouldn't have joined the Eye. And if she never joined the Eye, she wouldn't have went to Macau, where she received a very vital message from Li's grandmother:_

 _Young girl, never run away from your problems._

* * *

Lula rested her head on her fists, which were propped up on the railing of the balcony, as she stared off into the distance at nothing in particular. A million thoughts ran through her head, each fighting for attention, and it was giving her a major headache.

Hands came up and rested on her shoulders, startling her. She spun around to see who it was, and she relaxed slightly when she saw that it was only Jack. Playfully, she knocked away his arms as he smiled at her and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Wha- what?" She stammered, her mind muddled. "Nothing's wrong."

"Something's definitely wrong with you," Jack replied, his arms wrapping around her waist as she melted into him. He rested his chin on top of her head and said, "What's on your mind?"

Lula decided to try once more. "Nothing."

"Lula... please. You know you can tell me anything."

She sighed. "I don't know. It's just, ever since Henley arrived, it seems like my world- our world- has just turned into chaos."

There was a pause before Jack spoke again. "You're not afraid that I like her, are you?"

"What?" She laughed. "No." She decided not to mention the fact that when she first saw Henley, that had been the first thought that ran through her mind, but now she had a feeling that Henley already had too much drama with Daniel to be interested in Jack.

Jack chuckled, then grew quiet. "I think I know what you mean. Everything's changing, but... our world is all about change, I guess. Without change, I wouldn't be a Horseman, and... I wouldn't have met you. We wouldn't be here, in New York City, dancing on a balcony."

She tilted her head up at him. "We're not dancing."

"Oh, we're not?" Jack pretended to be surprised as he took her hands and spun her around so that she was facing him. She laughed, her heart skipping a beat, and suddenly she wanted to kiss him. So as he led her across the wooden floor, she stood on her tiptoes and gently pressed her lips against his, the corners of it curling up in a smile.

"I never knew you could dance," Lula whispered, leaning her head against his chest. Jack's grip on her waist tightened slightly, and she suspected that he was grinning.

"I'm full of surprises."

She laughed lightly, and they danced in comfortable silence throughout the night.

* * *

 **So? Did you like it?**

 **I know, I know, I just answered one of the biggest questions of the movie, but I hope you guys enjoyed this. If you did, please leave a review, follow, favorite, all of that good stuff.**

 ***snaps fingers and disappears***


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, first, let me just say how excited I was to read all of your reviews! I couldn't stop smiling like a dork, and it's all thanks to you guys.**

 **Hugs for all the people who followed, favorited, and left a review: AngelSong19, With Pen and Paper, BlackNight2000, XxRebelWriterxX, Jemmie, LightWitch13, Missblondee, Shizuka Shirakawa, TheAlphaofDarkness, Wordsmith94, sweet sunset rain, D-Rhodes, The Writer Es, cupcakeXmuffins, Rosie-Jess, bballkse14, Hamster the Angel, Dancerella718, RomanceLoverr, Ashley, and Guest! I was having doubts about my story, as per usual, and you guys made me feel a whole lot better about myself, so... thanks for that.**

 **Disclaimer: I haven't even graduated high school yet. Believe me, I don't have the time to make a blockbuster movie like Now You See Me.**

* * *

Daniel shifted uncomfortably in his stuffy sleeping bag- Henley needed a place to sleep, and he'd not-so-subtly offered her his bed- trying to think of something to say. He'd tried at least ten times at conversation, but Henley remained stubbornly silent, which, annoyingly enough, sounded like something he would do. The two were alone in the room- Merritt had said that he wanted to give the couple some space, which made Daniel want to strangle him- and not for the first time- and Jack and Lula were outside on the balcony.

He sighed defeatedly, turning over, just as a soft voice surprised him. "I like your new haircut, Danny."

"What?" Out of all the things he'd imagined her saying, that wasn't one of them.

He could hear her sitting up in bed, and with some effort, he manged to untangle himself from his sheets. Henley spoke again, giving him a smile that made his breath catch. "I said, I like your new haircut. It's... nice."

Daniel searched for a response. "Uh, thanks. It's... style," he said, trying to regain the air of vanity that he always carried around with him. Without it, he was vulnerable. He was weak, and people could read him like an open book. But he knew that it was useless to do this around Henley, because she was the one person who could always see right through him, no matter what. And he hated that about her.

She chuckled, but he could tell that she was still on edge. So, he decided to go for it- after all, he had nothing to lose.

"Why are you mad at me?"

The smile faded from her face, and Daniel could see in her eyes that she was debating whether or not to tell him. He stood up and met her eyes, which, surprisingly, were on the brink of tears. "I- I'm not mad at you," she choked out, quickly dabbing at her eyes with her gloved hands. "It's just that a lot of things happened that night."

Her words echoed painfully through Daniel's head as he struggled to remember what had happened that night. He could only recall bits of it, like pieces from a puzzle- he remembered the rain catching in Henley's hair like dew on a spiderweb. He remembered the feeling of her soft, red locks in between his fingers. He remembered telling her that Rebecca could never be her, could never as amazing and beautiful as her. And he remembered waking up the next morning to find that Henley had disappeared.

But he couldn't remember doing anything wrong.

Henley chuckled sadly. "And... I guess I can't say that I didn't like them."

"Then why did you-"

"When you kissed me that night, Danny, something in me broke. It was... bittersweet. Like I loved you and hated you at the same time, and surprisingly, it was the love that hurt the most. That's why I left. I just don't think... I could-" she took in a shaking breath, obviously trying to fight back tears- "handle it... anymore."

Oh yes, the kiss. That was one vital detail that Daniel had purposely skipped over, purposely tried to forget, because after Henley had left, the kiss hurt too much to think about. It still hurt to think about, especially after what Henley had just said.

 _Well, at least she's being honest,_ Daniel thought to himself, his mouth hanging open as he tried to think a reaction. Being honest was an understatement- Henley had poured out her entire heart to him. And all he could do was stare back at her like an idiot.

"I let us get too close over the past few months, Danny, and that was my mistake. So it's not your fault. It's mine."

Suddenly, Henley was crying, and without thinking Daniel immediately opened his arms. As she sobbed into his chest, he realized that he didn't need to say anything. His actions said it for him.

Somehow, despite the sorrowful mood, that night was perfect. Holding Henley in his arms was perfect, and at the time, Daniel wanted nothing more.

* * *

"What are we doing?" Lula asked, reaching up to take off her blindfold. Laughing lightly, Jack took her hands and led them away from it, causing her to huff in fake annoyance.

"Just trust me," Jack said for the fiftieth time. "It's a surprise."

"If you say so," Lula muttered under her breath, but she relaxed slightly, savoring Jack's warm grip on her arms. Finally, they came to a stop, and Jack pulled the blindfold over her head, revealing the most beautiful sight that Lula had ever seen.

The sky looked as if it was on fire. It was lit up with orange and gold and red and pink, all blending together in vibrant rays, radiating off the sun. Jack had led her to a hillside with the perfect view of the sunrise and had laid out a picnic blanket, a basket and a vase of red roses resting on it. If Jack had been someone else, Lula might've thought it was a desperate, cliche attempt to imitate movies, but this was Jack. _Her_ Jack.

"Wow," she breathed, kneeling down to open the basket. Of couse, this being prepared by Jack, it was full of Chinese takeout, but she appreciated the thought. Besides, what was better than Chinese food?

"This is amazing," Lula said, turning back to Jack. "You did all this?"

Jack grinned at her. "Well, I may or may not have stolen the flowers from a man I ran into on 5th Street, but other than that... yeah."

"Wow," Lula repeated, sitting down cross-legged on the blanket and pulling out a box of noodles. Jack settled down next to her, and the dark-haired woman rested her head on his shoulder as the two watched the sunrise together.

* * *

The streets were filled with people today, so it was easy to navigate unoticed by the crowd. It was a Sunday, prime tourist time, which meant that the markets would be bursting... and not just with food. A man heavily dressed in a trench coat, jeans, and a cap to conceal his eyes pushed through the masses of people, hiding a paper bag under his coat. Other than the occasional, "Watch where you're going!" nobody paid much attention to him, which was just the way he liked it.

Keeping his head lowered, the man emerged into the less-populated area of the town. He walked quickly down the alleyway, and with a swift glance around to make sure no one was looking, he slipped into an old building and closed the door behind him.

There were no words spoken as his boss came around the corner, nodding at him. She set the bag down on the table and began digging through its dangerous contents- mostly guns, darts, and bullets. The man leaned against the wall, shrugging off his coat and taking off his cap, revealing the grim expression underneath.

His boss though, didn't notice. "Good work today, my boy. We'll be ready in no time-"

"Has it ever occured to you," the man began, his voice deadly quiet, "that I don't want to do this anymore?"

"What?" The older woman set down the rifle she was holding. "You cannot be serious."

The man sighed, running a hand through his unkempt hair. "Maybe I am. This plan is dangerous, to say the least, and ill-timed. I told you, we should wait a little while longer-"

"No." The woman's eyes burned with an angry fire. "We are too deep into this plan to go back. We must go through with it!"

"There's almost no chance that we won't get caught," he argued, "and what we are doing is illegal. In case you didn't know, the police don't take kindly to illegalness, and I'm not interested in spending my life behind bars."

"We have no choice! I have already told you, boy, that this runs in our blood. We are simply avenging our ancestors! Do you not remember the story I told you so many times when you were young? The pharoah thirsted for vengance as he fell down that cliff, and it is our job to do as he wished! This task has been passed down for generations, and I promise you, there will be consequences if we do not continue their legacy. So we cannot quit, and we cannot fail. Do you hear me, boy?"

The young man seethed inside, but he saw the other woman's point. SIghing, he nodded and spread out the papers to go over the plan.

* * *

Daniel stumbled drunkenly down the dirty alleyway, illuminated by the blinding early morning light. He was in terrible shape- he'd left at about one in the morning last night, when Henley was sound asleep, meaning to just wander the streets until his mind cleared, but his feet had different ideas. He'd found his way to a bar, and despite the protests his head made, he went inside and gotten some beer. Nearly five hours later, he could barely see his hand in front of him.

He collasped against the dead end, his head lolling back against the brick wall. His head throbbed, but out of all the thoughts running wild through his mind, only one caught his attention.

 _Henley._

He sighed, putting his head in his hands. He was a master illusionist, he'd outsmarted the FBI several times, he'd joined the Eye, and he couldn't even talk to a girl he'd known for years. _What happens now?_ He wondered. _What happens after a girl tells you that she left because of you?_

Daniel groaned, frustrated. No amount of magic could ever fix this, no matter how hard he tried...

He was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of a car door slamming. Surprised, he leaped to his feet, but the alchohol dulled his reflexes. He caught himself with his hands as he fell forward, but as he heard footsteps approach him, he knew he was screwed.

The unknown figure caught him by his collar and pulled him to his feet. Before Daniel could even utter a word, the figure had an arm around his throat and was whispering words into his ear.

"I'm sorry about this... but you know too much."

The figure stabbed a needle into his shoulder, and the last thing Daniel saw was a familiar face before his world faded out into darkness.

* * *

 **Okay, be honest. Do you guys think that I'm writing anyone out of character? I know that Danny isn't really one to get drunk, but it seemed appropriate for the context.**

 **Please leave a review, favorite and follow! Those would make me super happy, and they might just make me put out another update sooner...**

 ***disappears in shower of cards***


	3. Chapter 3

**I should have told you about my notorious reputation for discontinuing stories.**

 **I always get the first few chapters in there, and then suddenly, I run out of ideas. But all your reviews really fueled me, so I finally got my act together (*cue rimshot*) and wrote this for you guys.**

 **Thank you so much for all of your reviews, favorites, and follows! All of you were insanely supporting, and that made me feel better than I have for a long time. So please, keep on reviewing! It makes my day so much better.**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't even know the director of this movie. I should really look into that...

* * *

The man who had taken Danny had black eyes.

Well, actually, they were brown, but in the sinister moonlight streaming through the window, they looked as black as tar. Now, as Daniel glared at them with a look that could melt ice, he saw a swarm of mixed emotions, like a painting- regret and resentfulness blending together, surrounded by sadness and misery and dotted with small specks of relief. _But relief for what?_ He wondered, his mind calculating. The drug, or whatever the man had given him, had killed the alcohol in his veins and sharpened his senses, and if nothing else, Danny was glad for that one, tiny perk.

Everything else was torture.

The cell he was in was foolproof- no magician, no matter how amazing, could escape. His arms were taped to his back at a painful, odd angle with gorilla tape, and his entire body was taped to a chair; his chest was taped to the back (therefore crushing his arms), his thighs to the bottom, and his calves to the two front legs of the chair. The back two legs had been chained with what looked like steel to the wall, and only allowed Danny to move about a foot away. His neck was restrained with rope to be upright, lest he bite at the tape and free himself, so that if he leaned forward, it would choke him. And, perhaps the most irritating of all, his hands were covered in mittens.

Danny hated mittens.

He'd been in that position for what seemed like hours, but when you were an illusionist, your sense of time began to fade away. For all he knew, only ten minutes could have passed, but either way, everything was sore and hot and he ached to move.

The man had been watching him since he'd woken up, and Danny wanted to call out his name, to ask him _why-_ for once upon a time, what seemed like such a long time ago, he had been allies with this man. But his mouth had been covered with a bandana that, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't manage to shake off.

The man had not spoken so far, although Daniel wished that he would. To be fair, maybe it was just so that he could have something, someone, to be angry at. But for some reason, he, J. Daniel Atlas- who was stubborn and apparently thick-headed and took a long time to forgive _anyone_ \- saw the misery in his eyes and had second thoughts.

Those second thoughts were useless, though.

Daniel would do what he needed to do to escape. No sympathy or pity he felt or memories he had would change his mind.

The man, leaning against the doorway, let out a long sigh.

* * *

Henley took another sip of her tea, her brown eyes thoughtful as she gazed around the empty room. Loneliness, she felt, was creeping up on her- Jack and Lula were outside, together, as it seemed to be all they were doing these days, and Merritt, as usual, was pretending to sulk in his room, although Henley did wonder what he was doing in there. Danny was gone, and she did her best to ignore the nagging feeling in her stomach; there was no doubt that he was gone because of her, because of her stupid confession that likely made her look, in his usually arrogant eyes, like an idiot.

There was nothing more that she wanted in that moment than to go back in time and erase it from ever happening- then perhaps Danny wouldn't be gone. Maybe he would have been with her, now, when she felt so small and alone.

She was immensely glad when the phone rang- it would provide a decent distraction to her confusing thoughts. Her pale fingers closed around the cool metal, but before she could even utter a word, there was a raspy voice speaking to her.

A wave of surprise washed over Henley as she listened, frozen, but what surprised her most was that the man, or whatever else was speaking, was telling her a poem- well, a poem with a wicked sort of twist.

" _Two lovers, tight as glue-_

 _Before they realized their feelings true_

 _And separated, although t_ _he agony was tearing them apart._

 _It was written on their faces,_

 _One went to a million places,_

 _And the other stayed the same._

 _But now, they will part for sure,_

 _For the other lover, forever more-_

 _Will never see the sunlight again."_

And then they hung up.

* * *

Jack had specially dressed up for the occasion.

Well, to some degree, anyway. A black leather jacket over a white t-shirt and jeans clothed him as he studied himself in the mirror, having last-minute worries. And although he had these every time he went out on a 'formal' date with Lula, this time was different. Why?

He sighed, running a hand through his hair before reaching into his pocket and thumbing the smooth, cool cover of the minute box that couldn't possibly be any more important than it already was. It wasn't a ring, no; Jack, to be honest, hated those cliche marriage gifts. However, as confident as he had been about his gift when he'd first stole it, now, he found that he was doubting himself more and more.

 _It's just supposed to be something small; something to show how much I- how much she means to me._

For some reason unknown to him, the word _love_ could never make it to his lips.

Jack sighed again, and, after glancing at himself one more time, left the house.

It was a nice night. The moon, full and glowing, cast light through the small gaps between leaves beginning to turn orange and red as autumn neared. Already, some crunched beneath his feet; for some reason, it was a comforting sound as he walked. The sky, today, was cloudless and a deep, rich blue, although many of the stars were blocked by buildings stretching into the night. Soft, yellow light from the streetlamps beside him illuminated the path, mixed with the fluorescent white and blue and red from the city. Yes, it was a nice night, but Jack's worry cut through all the beauty as his thoughts wandered around and about Lula.

He wondered how she looked today. Pretty, no doubt, but he'd told her that today was special, and he wondered how she had interpreted that. As an occasion that needed extra deliberation on how she looked, or just as another outing with her boyfriend?

 _Boyfriend._ The word sounded alien to him, as if it were a foreign language. _Boyfriend._

Perhaps he should've chosen a different spot- maybe that was the problem. He'd simply told her to meet her behind the 7 Eleven on 8th Avenue, but looking back, that didn't seem like such a good choice. He'd wanted to be somewhere where they wouldn't be seen, somewhere where they could be _alone_ with each other.

He'd barely walked for five minutes, and already he was sweating.

Other thoughts warred in his mind as he finally slipped behind the old, worn-down building and gave Lula, who was already waiting, the most charming smile he could manage. _You're late, Jack,_ he thought, cursing himself. "Hey."

There was something off about Lula's smile, but Jack didn't notice it as he settled himself down next to her; Lula, apparently, had spent the entire day with a friend, in spite of the fact that Jack was fairly sure that she had no other friends in New York. But he didn't argue; he'd just smiled and asked when she'd be back.

"Hey," she now murmured softly. _This_ , however, caught Jack's attention. He leaned forward so that there was only half an inch between their faces, and as Lula's slight exhales tickled his neck, whispered, "Something wrong?"

Everything from there seemed to happen at all once.

Lula pushed Jack away, hard; Jack, not expecting it, fell backwards, hitting his head on the hard dirt. He struggled to sit up- his head was fire as he vaguely heard footsteps, as if from a distance, and then there was a muffled sound that sounded like... crying.

Lula wasn't one to cry.

" _Everything_ is wrong, Jack. Everything is going wrong in my life- I keep trying to tell you, over and over again, but all you do is ignore my signs! All I really wanted today was to get my head in order, and so I told you that I was leaving; you didn't care. There are times when I talk to you, and you just ignore me as if I'm not there. My _dad_ has just died; I got the news this morning, and I need money for his funeral, but I can't get any, anywhere. You were drifting away from me; all that stuff between Daniel and Henley is just confusing drama that I don't want to get stuck in; and Merritt... well, I doubt he'd be eloquent in paying for my funds. So yes, something is wrong. It might be me, or you- but no matter what, I can't-" she drew in a shaky breath as Jack tried to take in everything that she was saying. "I can't do this anymore."

Jack blinked, feeling as it he were tumbling into a black void. Had he really done all those things? No, he didn't believe it- or perhaps he just didn't _want_ to believe it. Some part of him refused to believe that he'd done all those things to Lula, his Lula- but the other part kept whispering to him the things he'd done wrong.

 _Ignored her..._

 _Refused to help her..._

 _Weren't there for her when she needed you the most..._

 _You couldn't even be on time for one date._

 _No,_ Jack thought miserably as tears streamed down Lula's pretty, white face. He longed to wipe them away, to tell her that everything was alright- but it wasn't. _Everything I did was meant to help her- to help us. All I could think about was what I could get her as a gift, what I could do for our next date. When she told me she was going to go visit some friends, I thought it might be good for her to take a break from magic. I had no idea- it couldn't be my fault-_

Lula began to walk away.

Jack's vision began to blur, but whether it was from tears or the pain from hitting his head, he wasn't sure. He called after her, but it was no use. Within moments, she had gone from his sight.

Slowly, the agony pounding in his head began to dull, and as it faded, he sat up, running his hand through his hair again and again. The reality of what had just happened hit him like a second slap to the face, and he felt hollow inside as he climbed to his feet.

He bit his lip and put his hands into his pockets, sighing- and felt the box that had ruined everything for him. In a sudden wave of furious anger, he screamed and opened it, throwing the contents and the case itself as far as he could. He could see it as it disappeared into the night sky.

It was a peanut.

* * *

 **You do not know how incredibly sad it made me to write this.**

 **To be honest, I'm not completely sure I know what's going on right now- this is mostly just a collage of my feelings, and some drama for all you lovely readers! Please tell me what you think: should Jack and Lula get back together, or is it a relationship lost to both of them?**

 **All of you made me unbelievably happy last time with your reviews, favorites and follows! Please continue to do that- it makes my heart super giddy and encourages me to keep going.**

 ***falls back into rain puddle and disappears***


	4. Chapter 4

**Well. I've never had a story this successful before.**

 **All you lovelies would not believe how thankful I am every time one of you follows, favorites, or reviews- all my previous stories only got one or two, and I am frankly shocked at how many kind-hearted people decided to make my day. And so, to thank you for your kindness, I have VIRTUAL HOLIDAY TREATS!**

 **Candy Canes for all my 41, lovely followers! (nom nom nom...)**

 **Sugar Cookies for all my 24, wonderful favorites! (gobble gobble...)**

 **Pumpkin Pie for all my 16, amazing reviews! (yum yum...)**

 **Disclaimer** : I found the director of this move- Louis Leterrier. However, I still don't own this incredible movie...

* * *

"Kid, a tip in life."

Jack allowed his head to loll back against the couch as he resisted rolling his eyes at the older man's words. Merritt leaned against the doorway; for the last half hour or so, he'd, apparently, been trying to hypnotize Jack into forgetting about Lula. He'd argued that he didn't _want_ to forget Lula, and in return, Merritt had offered him advice. Jack, seeing no other choice, had let him. Now, however, he regretted it.

Merritt ignored his gesture while adjusting the black hat that always seemed to be atop his head. "You know, I spared the time and effort to come here and talk to you about your ex-girlfriend. You're lucky. I never got that type of fatherly figure in my life."

Jack almost wanted to throw up. "Fatherly figure?" He echoed.

Merritt gave a nod, his face completely serious. "Take advantage of it. You-"

"Don't listen to him." Henley, as always, had come to save Jack from whatever Merritt had in mind- the older man almost looked disappointed. Lacy black gloves adorned her slim fingers and ran up her wrists, paired with the tight black dress that hugged her curves and showed off her legs. Jack, for a moment, wondered what Danny would think if he'd seen her- before being reminded of the task at hand. "Lula will come back eventually, but for now-"

"We all know it. Daniel's more important," Merritt muttered.

Henley shot him a look of ice as she hurried over to Jack, ruffling his hair with an assuring smile. "Don't worry about it," she whispered, and Jack nodded, grateful for the ghost of a mother that Henley was. As she walked away, her heeled leather boots clicking against the floor of their apartment, she declared, "Alright, boys. Time to get to work."

* * *

The train station was cold and rainy as Lula lugged her suitcase along- the perfect scenario, she thought bitterly. Of course, the weather would decide to be against her as well; everyone did these days.

The platform was what could be considered relatively empty- a few people were scattered on benches throughout, all with coffees and newspapers and looking just as somber as she was. She wondered why, briefly, before settling herself down next to a man with a hat that looked awfully similar to Merritt's concealing his eyes.

"Morning." The voice that spoke was low and raspy, as if he hadn't talked in a while. Lula glanced up, surprised, and voiced a response. "Morning."

"What brings you here?"

Lula gave a sort of shrug, looking away and feeling slightly awkward. "Err- nothing, really. Just going back to see some family." It wasn't a lie, technically, but she doubted that it would be considered a truth. "You?"

The man shrugged, almost mirroring her gesture. "Business."

Lula didn't push. For one thing, she didn't care altogether that much, but anyway, the man didn't seem willing to elaborate. Suddenly intent on studying the posters hung up nearby, she'd shifted so that she didn't see the other man, and didn't see him slowly raise his briefcase, the despair clear in his eyes.

"I didn't want to take more than one of you," he whispered. "But I had no choice."

Lula, hearing this, whirled around with wide eyes- but it was too late. The man had already struck her, and everything slowly spun until it faded to black.

* * *

"That's two of them. When are we going to stop?"

"No."

The man made a frustrated, choked noise in the back of his throat, slamming his papers down with an unnecessary amount of force. It did surprise him how easily he could get angered these days; he supposed that is was just a matter of 'emotional stress.' The stress of going against the people who'd once been his friends. "That's not," he began, the effort to keep his voice steady evident in his eyes, "an answer to my question."

The woman looked up, unfazed. "Perhaps I don't know the answer to your question. I follow orders, son, and so should you."

"Don't call me your son." It was a tiny, almost unimportant detail to linger on, but the man figured that it would hurt her nonetheless.

"What?"

It was just as he thought; the woman gently set down the pencil between her fingers, her brown eyes intently searching him for an answer. Somewhere in her, she didn't believe it, he knew, but the tiny percent that he might not be lying scared her. Yes, he'd known her all his life; he knew what she felt and when she felt it.

"I said-" Now his voice had become calmer, like the sky before a storm, he thought. Silently, he thanked himself for making the opportunity to hide his true feelings from her, lest she not understand, which she most likely wouldn't. "Don't call me your son."

"Why?"

Simple, one-word answers seemed to be her fondness at the moment. Giving a shrug and an almost taunting smile, he replied, "I don't like it."

"I have been calling you my son all your life-"

"Yes, but you're not my mother. Ever thought about that?"

She seemed physically moved by this, and shook her head, averting her eyes to the table where he couldn't see them. "I have thought about it," she murmured softly, "too many times to count. But I'd like to think that I've acted like a mother. I thought you did too."

The man swallowed, bitter words echoing in his head. He had yet the courage to say them out loud, though, and instead went to his usual position across from her, a pen already in hand.

 _Mothers,_ he thought coldly, _tend not to murder your family and friends._

* * *

"She's not picking up."

Henley offered Jack a look of sympathy as she made her way over- there didn't seem much else she could do to make the situation better. Anything besides the usual, corny 'She'll come back,' or 'She's just going through some stress-' because, she knew well enough from personal experience that those words didn't help. At all.

She gave a small sigh, half out of pity for Jack, but the other was for her own memories. Not that she would let Jack know that, of course- he'd learned from Danny that being hurt, apparently, made you weak, but Henley had learned to see through the fake mask of impassiveness that men always put up when it came to romantics and personal things like this. He didn't need anything to make the situation worse, and besides, Danny was her own burden to carry, not his.

Jack cleared his throat before speaking once more, clearly afraid that it was going to crack and show some sign that this meant something to him. "It'll be fine," he mumbled, placing his head in his hands before looking up at Henley, his face the look of a child seeking guidance. After all the months, years even, that they'd spent together, Henley very nearly thought of herself as his mother- no one else was suited for the job, anyway. And, despite the fact that he didn't notice it, she believed that he acted like her son. So it was up to her to do things like mend broken hearts, and leave all the action for the men to do- they would take care of it, she was sure. But this, for once, was her own responsibility.

Even if it was for her own sake, she promised herself that she would do a good job.

"We've got more important things to do, anyway," Jack quietly continued, and Henley felt a pulling in her stomach. Yes, Danny was still out there, but it felt wrong to force it on Jack when he had nothing to do with it and was dealing with his own matters. But no, he had to help out as well, for a reason that was still unknown to Henley- after all, when she'd asked him, all he said was, "We're a team."

Some dark part of her wished that that wasn't the only reason he was helping her, but the other, better part of her instantly scolded herself for thinking so. She should be grateful that Jack was there to help them, if anything, but no. Maybe Danny had spread to her. She always wanted more, more, more.

Henley gave a minute nod, gently putting a hand on his shoulder. A gesture that she did often nowadays, most times without even noticing it, something motherly and caring that she'd picked up- but she was surprised, now, when he shook off her hand, before giving her an apologetic look. "Sorry, I'm just a bit... jumpy, today."

She kept her hurt look to herself; Jack didn't need it. If anything, she understood how he felt, because she'd felt the same way herself just a few months ago- rebellious, angry at everyone, completely unlike the calm, collected woman she usually was. Why? It was the result of a broken heart.

"No, I understand. Completely understand." Her voice threatened to fail her, but she refused to let it. She wasn't going to allow herself to be taken over by the other side once more. "It's just... would you like me to make you some coffee?"

A simple, polite, sentence that couldn't have meant anything to Jack- but nonetheless, he gave her a small smile and nodded. "Yeah, that'd be great, thanks."

"It's no problem." Those words were routine now; she'd said them so many times that she wondered if they had any meaning left. She hoped so, because if not, then she wasn't doing a damn thing to help Jack, was she?

As she reached for a second mug and filled it with the murky brown liquid, a soft voice spoke behind her; unsure, needing help. "And Henley-" Jack paused, only for a moment, and Henley fondly glanced over her shoulder at him, only to have her heart tighten at the sight of a young man falling apart; head in hands, dark half-moons under his eyes, a phone resting in front of him that had caused him so much pain. "Please don't take it personally. I know you. But really, everything I'm going through-"

Henley bit her lip, turning back to her coffee so that she wouldn't have to face him, which was why she very nearly jumped when he laid a hand on her shoulder. "Yes?" Her voice was quiet, smaller than she would've liked. She was supposed to be strong, always, even if it was only for him- but she supposed that if Danny had taught her anything, then it was that being strong all the time was impossible. A feat that not even the greatest magician could perform.

"It's my own problem to sort out."

She gave a small sigh and nodded, finally taking a moment to look at him. His soft, brown eyes met her own searching ones with a silent look of reassurance that said everything to her: _I know you don't want to, but you have to let go of me sometime. Let me figure out things on my own._

Henley didn't want to, sure. But at the moment, it didn't matter what she wanted; all that mattered was Jack. So, for his sake, she gave a nod and whispered two words.

"I know."

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this, my lovelies! I know it's been awhile, but life has been eventful, at the least, lately. I really do hope you enjoy this, though, and in case I can't make another update before Christmas, happy holidays to all of you! Enjoy your Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, New Year's- everything that matters to you.**

 ***slides down chute to truck and is taken away***


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** If I said that I owned Now You See Me, would you all be less mad at me for not updating? Maybe, maybe not, but it doesn't really matter because it's not true, anyway.

* * *

It took Lula's eyes awhile to adjust to the darkness.

She would admit that it took longer than she would've liked, but in her defense, she'd been thrown into pitch blackness- so she couldn't see how she was trapped, or get even a remote guess of where. All she knew was that she wasn't alone in this dark room, which was not necessarily something that made her happy; being strapped to a chair, unable to move, made her incredibly anxious as she tried to struggle out of her makeshift prison. Her mind, however, was overwhelmed with recent events, with Jack and being kidnaped and all, so she could think of nothing to allow her to escape; distractedly, she wondered what type of a magician she really was. Of course, the memory of when she first met Danny and escaped from the chains he'd tried to keep her in came back to her, almost to haunt her, she thought. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to hold back a scream and instead gave a light sigh.

A shuffling noise. It'd been happening for the last few hours- what seemed like hours, anyway, as she'd lost complete track of time. But there'd been a shuffling noise ever since she'd opened her eyes to the unfamiliar place, and that was exactly how she knew that _someone else was here._

She had a suspicion who it was, but the fear of being wrong- and she'd been wrong so many times lately- overwhelmed that suspicion completely, so she said nothing about it. Nothing about how when she was stuck between dreams and reality, she'd heard the voice of a man. An unfamiliar man, with the same voice as the one who took her, speaking quietly to someone else about how 'she's a friend of his,' and how much 'we'll hurt them.' There was no question about who _his_ or _them_ were; at least, not to Lula, who had the nagging feeling that at least one of her friends was with her. And while that was comforting, the frustrating part was the fact that she wasn't sure which one, or even how many, were with her.

And the fact that whoever was couldn't speak.

It was a fact that she'd long realized the moment she noticed someone else there. She'd called out, and asked questions, and tried to get through, but all she heard in return was the same shuffling noise, over and over again. So she'd rather quickly deemed that the other person couldn't talk, and, therefore, had been trying to physically get towards her, although she wasn't exactly sure what he'd do from there. But no matter what, she'd dealt with it, and allowed him to do so.

When she'd snapped back to reality, the shuffling, to her surprise, had slowed. It still worked at a rhythm- _creech, creech, creech_ \- but nonetheless, she could tell that it was finally getting closer. Unable to keep her excitement contained, before she could even stop for a moment and think about what she was going to say, the word had tumbled out of her mouth. "Jack?"

The sound stopped, and Lula felt like kicking herself in the head. No, it wasn't Jack; how could she be that conceited? How could she think- because she was going to face it, even if it filled her with shame and guilt and a million other emotions- for a moment that Jack, her supposed Prince Charming, would come and save her? It was totally unrealistic and illogical, but nonetheless, she'd allowed herself to hope for a moment that Jack would come and save her, would rescue her from the prison he likely didn't even know that she was in. And how stupid she was made her angry, but with no one to take that anger out onto, she forced it on herself.

Which was why, when it was utterly and completely silent, and she was completely sure that the other person had given up hope, she allowed herself to cry. Soft, silent tears at first, streaming down her face like the contained tears of a princess, she thought. Because, a fact she'd known well ever since she was little and obsessed with princess movies, princesses always looked good. Even when they cried. So, despite the incredible amount of effort it took, she tried to keep her tears quiet so that the other person couldn't hear her and share her pain.

Then came the sobs, and the wails, and more- it started with just one catch of breath, and during that catch of breath, she couldn't help but think about how she'd stupidly taken out her emotions on Jack a few nights ago, when nothing was his fault. Couldn't help but think about how he was too good for her, but now she'd lost him because she was just _that_ careless and selfish, and how he probably thought that she was running away from her. And with just that _one catch of breath,_ the wall holding everything up came tumbling down all at once, with nothing to stop it, and suddenly everything was loud and harsh and the room had started spinning around her. She didn't care, though- all she cared about were the sobs that wouldn't stop, the sobs that shook the room. Somehow, through it all, some part of her still thought about how that wasn't princess-like at all, but the other part of her argued that nothing she'd ever done had been princess-like in her life. So she let it go, and allowed herself to close her eyes and fall over in her chains, her loud wails and screams echoing off the walls.

Although she didn't notice it, the other figure had, once more, began shuffling towards her- the only difference was, this time, she didn't care.

* * *

Danny didn't care to admit how much it had hurt him when he realized that the other person stuck in there with him wasn't Henley.

It was a woman, and he knew that much; however, the part of him that always came out when it came to caring for Henley had took over and gave him hope when he noticed the other figure and slowly- heartbreakingly, frustratingly slowly- began to shuffle towards her. He should've recognized that the voice speaking wasn't Henley's voice from the start, but blinded by hope, he allowed himself to be put under the impression that it was. However, she stopped speaking once he started, and Daniel figured that she'd finally realized that he couldn't speak. So, instead, he managed to focus on the task at hand.

 _Creech. Creech. Creech._

It was maddening, listening to that sound for hours on end- what seemed like hours, anyway. Danny hated the fact that he'd lost track of time; at first, he'd been ever so careful to count the seconds, the minutes, the hours, but of course, it was easy to lose track. He was fairly sure he'd lost himself less than ten minutes in, but he'd continued anyway, until he failed altogether. It was only then that he accepted his defeat, and now he regretted it, despite the fact that counting wouldn't have done much either.

But through all the madness, through all the darkness, he convinced himself that it was all for Henley. Convinced himself into such a state that he was mesmerized by the rhythmic shuffling of his own chair, stuck in a land that wasn't reality but not quite a fantasy world, either; a world where he wasn't stuck in a prison with some possible stranger, a world where he and Henley, for once (because some tiny part of him accepted that he was too stubborn and headstrong for his own good, but Henley put up with him anyway) got along. Where they were happy, together. Where she didn't hate him (because the other, darker part of him assumed that she really did hate him) for his own, stupid mistakes.

Maybe it was just the fact that time was flying by, or besides moving his chair inch by inch, there wasn't much left to do, but Daniel suddenly found himself beating himself up- which, being the arrogant, confident illusionist he was, wasn't something that occurred often. He found himself suddenly realizing that Henley had left because of him, which, sure, was a fact that he'd known well before, but at the moment, everything was hitting him in the face harder than it needed to.

He'd been told that he was unappreciative more times than he could count, yet he'd never truly thought about what it meant until now. It meant that he was- or, at least, had been- lucky enough to have a woman like Henley in his life, yet he'd always tried to push her away because he was stupid enough to think that he was supposed to function on his own. That wasn't how it worked, though- wasn't how the world worked, wasn't how life worked in general. It was okay to depend on someone, to have someone be your solace, and some small part of him had always known that, but the other part had taken over. Had taken over for so many years, and he was done with it.

Done hurting Henley for reasons that he himself didn't quite understand. Done forcing her away, done pushing away the affection that he hoped she still held for him. It was strange, the circumstances in which he came to accept it; stuck in a tiny prison cell, strapped to a chair and unable to speak, with another woman that may or not have been Henley with him. But it had happened anyway, and he vowed to make it worth something.

And when she started to cry- silent tears at first, that Daniel barely noticed as he was lost in his thoughts, he found that the wall holding everything up in him was beginning to crumble as well. Then, when the loud, shaking sobs came, he had to resist the urge to comfort her, despite the fact that he knew it wasn't Henley. But the anger in him had been released, replaced with the silent affection for Henley that had previously only taken up a small space in his heart.

He stopped coming towards her. Why? Because he knew how she felt, because he understood. _What_ he understood wasn't completely obvious to him, but he knew enough to understand the hopelessness lingering in the air, and that alone was enough to crush someone's spirit.

The sobs slowly grew louder; with a silent nod of reassurance to himself, Danny began scooting forward once more, this time with determination running through his veins.

And suddenly, the door was thrown open, bright, unfamiliar light streaming in and hurting his eyes. He couldn't raise an arm to shield them, though, and instead was forced to look at the man who stood in the doorway, a sort of sympathetic look on his face. A familiar man, whose eyes instantly trained to the other woman- in the light, Daniel could clearly see that it was Lula, and that tears were running down her face. He could also tell that she was in no mood to be discovered.

She didn't have a choice, though.

* * *

"You see, we three- we're all alike."

 _Keep it together,_ Li reminded himself, slipping his hands into his pockets as casually as he could. _Keep up the act. Because as long as they believe you... then you'll get her back._

His eyes constantly wandered from Daniel, who spat on the ground in hatred (the tape forcing him to keep quiet had been removed), and Lula, whose tears had dried almost the moment she'd seen him, her eyes widening with surprise and shock. She held no hatred- yet- but only a sort of disappointment in her eyes, like this was only yet another things that had gone wrong in her life. Of course, Li knew all about that.

"How so?" Daniel had spoken the words, his tone forceful and threatening. Li remained unfazed, though, knowing that there was nothing he could do, restricted in his chair. Li gave a sort of shrug, taking a step closer to the pair.

"We've all forced away our lovers, and now will do anything to get them back."

The words hung in the air for a moment- something seemed to have broken in Daniel at the word, _Lover,_ and Lula looked like she was forcing back tears of regret. After that, though, came another wave of surprise- clearly, they didn't know as much about his life as they'd first thought.

Daniel looked like he was about to object- it wasn't much of a surprise. It was clear that the illusionist was trying to find every crack and pry it open, a way to get his anger out; Li wouldn't let him. He continued on, ever so calm.

"We're all stuck in this tiny prison of a room, and we're all being forced to do something to be let out." Li spread his hands, a cross between a smirk and a legitimate smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "You didn't really think I would kidnap you without a reason, did you?" Already able to predict their answers to that, he continued to pace back and forth in front of them, watching their every move. "Oh. Tsk."

Looking back, it made him a bit sad how easily he'd given in to the memories, how easily he'd lost his surroundings and was stuck back in Macau, on a starry night lit only by the half-full moon and flickering street lights, a pretty girl in his arms. Everything else was quiet.

 _Black. All he could see was black; black was the sky, lit by tiny white dots. Black was her hair, falling around them like a curtain, shielding them from the outside world; now, all that existed was her and him. Her and him._

 _He repeated it over and over like it was his mantra, the only thing keeping him chained to the ground, keeping him in touch with reality. Because other than that, it was oh-so-easy to lose himself in pure fantasy, so easy to believe that nothing was real anymore - that's how dreamlike it was. That's how dreamlike dancing with her was, how dreamlike running his fingers through her soft black hair was, how dreamlike leaning down and pressing a chaste kiss to her lips was. Not that he was complaining, really._

 _Of course, all good things must come to an end - but he supposed that they couldn't really end if they'd never really started in the first place. That, admittedly, was a mistake on his part, but young men - a fact his grandmother had almost scoldingly, but nonetheless lovingly (somewhat, at least), informed him on - were easily deceived. They had a vision, she explained; and they'd strive to get that vision, no matter what the cost. Sometimes, though, it's simply impossible, and they'll see that they've wasted all that time, all that effort - and recoil, like a gun shot for the very first time. One is too scared to try again. He couldn't imagine, when he was a boy, that he'd give up so easily, or that anyone would, really. But people change._

 _The fact that he was a part of the Eye must've had something to do with it. Enemies weren't exactly rare, and any good villain should know that the link to destruction is first taking the ones they love. Taking them afterward is simply icing on the cake._

 _Chapstick -_

 _dried blood -_

 _slipping on the rain - puddles -_

 _the cracks -_

 _shouts yells screams -_

 _deaf - deafening -_

 _hats falling off -_

 _silence but the -_

 _All his senses seemed lost, at the moment, as if he was endlessly floating in a void. No one could hear him, and vice versa, because there were no other people in the first place; and he came to the somehow stunning realization that he was alone._

 _It wasn't a nice word. He'd never understood it, anyway - why it existed, in the first place, but everything seemed to be aligning itself before his very eyes, at the moment. And while it was beautiful (in a certain, bittersweet way) it also, just a bit, made him want to cry._

 _Hearing. He couldn't hear anyway, nothing at all, but he imagined the sounds of the night around him. For instance, the constant, familiar screeches of crickets that surrounded him no matter what city he went to; or the almost frightening, but somehow comforting, murmur of owls hidden away in the trees; the buzzing of simply just life streaming through the buildings that no one noticed until its absence. He'd always thought that not even silence was truly silence, because there was always something to substitute in, but now, no matter how much he strained his ears, there was nothing._

 _Sight. If everything had been black before, then he couldn't imagine what the right word was to describe the peculiar feeling he held at the moment, because as far as he'd learned, the absence of all light and all color was just black. Yet, the seemingly infinite space expanding before him begged to differ, as instead if felt as if there was a screen blocking him from seeing everything he was supposed to - not blackness just yet, but a blur of colors that didn't look like anything at all. It was - well, at the very least, it was confusing._

 _Touch. He couldn't see the ground beneath his feet, much less feel it. So, he supposed that in a way, he could be considered flying, but it felt nothing like the sort; wasn't flying supposed to be free? Wasn't it supposed to only limit you to the endless expanse of the sky, maybe venturing even further into the unknown? If so, then no, he wasn't exactly flying. He was floating aimlessly around, unable to be in control of himself, while attempting to figure out the destination he'd initially had in mind, a surprisingly frustrating task to do. Like when you walked into a room, then forgot why you were there in the first place. The difference was, though, that now, he had no way to escape._

 _Smell. It wasn't as if this was one of the senses he constantly depended on, anyway - or so he thought. He didn't miss the almost gagworthy smell of the untrusty sewage system in his home of Macau until it was gone, an awfully strange thing to think about; it did, truly, make him gauge his priorities just a bit more. The smell of rain that seemed to bring along a freshness with it; the smell of smoke cascading up from factories towering in the distance that he could only visualize in his mind. No matter. He could almost,_ almost, _trick himself into believing that it was real. Almost._

 _Taste. The most maddening thing about it might've just been the loss of his sense of taste, he thought, because even after she'd disappeared, slipped through his fingers just like minnows in a river, he still wanted to taste the faint flavor of the cherry chapstick he'd licked off her lips. Or the strawberry scent of the shampoo she used in her hair. Even the taste of the city, typically horrible and smelling mostly of either gasoline or people. Though, there were always the traces of a marketplace selling fruit or sweets that was a reassuring, underlying tone._

 _But the loneliness was the worst of all._

* * *

 ***zombiewalks* Look who's back from the dead! Admittedly, that was my fault, yes, and I take full responsibility because I'm not creative enough at the moment to come up with a good excuse that would satisfy all you sunshines. But, anyway, all the people who bothered to read this and follow/favorite/review and wonderful and deserve a shoutout - I'm horribly sorry if I miss you!**

 **M'kay, birthday cake (because birthday cake when it's not your birthday is awesome) for all my lovely followers: _AgentSmudge, Astrid Chase, Belly-Bells Potter Diggory, Bilei Pancy, BlackNight2000, Cpt. Boom, Demi-Fae, Ellen1983, FashionQueen102, Fashiongoddess102, GEMITHA0208, Jemmie, LightWitch13, LoveMakingStories1234, Loveable Leo, LuminaHearts, MelEstApple, Missblondee, NowYouAvengeHarryPotter, PAUpauLH, PassionBob, Rosie-Jess, Runners, Sani99, , Shizuka Shirokawa, TheAlphaofDarkness, The Writer Es, With Pen and Paper, Wordsmith94, XxRebelWriterxX, XxThe-Crest-Of-AnubisxX, almirra, annie15269, bballkse14, colinedvs, crazyforyou9422, cupcakeXmuffins, dropdeadgorgeous4ever, elizabethv4543, emmawratten98, fangirl life shoved a book, jaimison, manyfandomsgirl, roxana7120, shazzygirl, sweet sunset rain, and tcpg02._**

 **Cinnamon rolls (because cinnamon rules all the time) for all my lovely favorites: _Belly-Bells Potter Diggory, Bilei Pancy, Demi-Fae, GEMITHA0208, Hamster the Angel, IsobelFrances, LoveMakingStories1234, LuminaHearts, Missblondee, Shizuka Shirokawa, TheAlphaofDarkness, The Writer Es, With Pen and Paper, WondaGal, Wordsmith94, XxRebelWriterxX, almirra, amalspach, bballkse14, jaimison, roseliehale1, roxana7120, shazzygirl, sweet sunset rain, and tcpg02._**

 **And last, but not least, whatever your favorite food is (because I've got no idea what to give to these sunshines who honestly make my day so much better) for my reviewers: _sweet sunset rain, Ashley, RomanceLoverr, Dancerella718, Missblondee, Bilei Pancy, Spark, TheAlphaofDarkness, SeeMe, almirra, Jemmie, Legititseems (who is actually awesome for reviewing after all this time), and two Guests._**

 **Sooo... feel free to search for your name within all of those, lovelies! A quick thing I've learned from this: some of y'all have the awesomest pennames, alright?**

 ***disappears down a curving stairway like in the vague ending of NYSM2 (you guys realize that these all are references, right?)***


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